By Telesha Bowen, Program Lead, Techstars (Startup Community)

When most people think of Techstars, they think of our flagship 13-week intensive accelerator programs. Since 2006, Techstars has been supporting founders with expert-led masterclasses, 1:1 mentorship, and a network to guide them to scale. As these accelerator programs became extremely competitive, it became clear that there was a whole community of founders that still needed guidance. 

From Accelerator to Expanded Pre-Accelerator Programs

Techstars began developing pre-accelerator programs to provide early-stage founders with resources and tools to prepare them for greater milestones, like accelerator programs. The Techstars Startup Community team began working with communities, coming together to build Startup Weekends. During these three-day experiential learning events, founders pitch an idea, build a team, and develop that idea into a validated startup. 

As those founders continued to build following a Startup Weekend, there was still so much growth and traction needed before they were ready for an accelerator — this is where the Founder Catalyst program was born.

Founder Catalyst is most similar to an accelerator, as it is a 10-week program. Its part-time and virtual format allows early-stage founders who may not have committed full-time to their ventures yet to participate in the learnings they need to reach further growth. 

How Techstars Helps Founders at Any Level

The University of Southern California (USC) has been a great opportunity to see how a community that supports founders at every stage of their founder journey does, in fact, help move a startup to scale.

“Being a part of the Techstars program has felt like an amazing segue from where I started at Startup Weekend. I learned about how to set clearer milestones and think through various business models that expand on my mission. I know this isn’t the end, only a means to accelerate my growth as a visionary from South Central who is going to impact education of the future,” Anthony Ramirez-Garcia shares, CEO of First Gen-X and USC and Techstars University Catalyst alum. 

Techstars began working with USC in 2024, and since then, the Techstars Startup Community and Accelerator teams have been working closely to deliver improved curated programming for this community. Telesha Bowen (Program Lead) and Mariessa Esho (Operations Associate) have been working with idea and early-stage founders in pre-accelerator programs, while Gabriel Schlumberger (Managing Director), Allison Kitain (Program Manager), and Chase Dalton (Investment Analyst) have been working with pre-seed founders to scale their ventures in the accelerator. 

"Startups are the ultimate team sport. The foundational work by Telesha and Mariessa is critical for a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem,” comments Gabriel Schlumberger, Techstars Managing Director for the USC and Techstars Accelerator. “Our close collaboration allows us multiple points to engage with founders where they're at: even the earliest phases of their journey. I get to witness founders grow from initial concept to a venture-ready business, often seeing them apply for the accelerator a year or two later. We also use the pre-accelerator as a strategic development step for startups. If a promising startup isn't quite ready for scale, we direct them to the pre-accelerator to gain the necessary traction. This holistic approach ensures participants arrive better prepared for the demands of our intensive accelerator program.”

“I’m constantly strategizing on how to empower early-stage founders with the necessary foundation to drive their businesses forward,” states Telesha. “Working in tandem with Gabriel’s team, we've gained critical insight into the common gaps observed during accelerator applications and interviews. This feedback has been instrumental — we’ve leveraged these insights to adjust our pre-accelerator schedules and offer targeted 1-on-1 coaching to better prepare founders for accelerated programs.”

The Result?

Within the first two years, 17 Startup Weekend founders have applied to the USC University Catalyst program, in which seven were accepted. Startups participating in the USC University Catalyst have gone on to apply to the USC Accelerator, in which two have been accepted so far — one of which met at Startup Weekend! We are eagerly awaiting the accelerator class announcement for Spring 2026.

Each year, we continue to see more USC faculty, staff, student and alumni founder engagement, more engagement across USC schools, increased applications to all of the programs, as well as more startups moving from one program to the next. We’ve met founders from less traditional routes to entrepreneurship, including the Gould School of Law, the School of Dramatic Arts, and the Roski School of Art and Design. 

Not only does the collaboration between the Techstars Startup Community and Accelerator teams inform better ways to deliver our programs and content externally, but it also allows us to improve and streamline internal processes as well.

“I’ve learned so much from the accelerator team and how they operate. Sometimes this means adopting an internal process they’ve been using so that data is visible across our teams, while other times it might mean incorporating a piece of their process into our workflows to enhance program delivery methods,” Telesha shares.  

With our expanded team approach, the USC community supporting these founders has expanded as well. There are various mentorship and speaking opportunities to meet the needs of those wanting to help these founders. USC experts from various schools have generously shared their time, guidance, and feedback. Every day, more professors and alumni are eager to get involved.

This work exemplifies Techstars' values to “Help Founders Succeed,” and we are “All In, Together.”

If you’re a founder, find the right Techstars program for you through a Startup Weekend, Founders Catalyst, or Accelerator program.

If you’re looking to build your entrepreneurial ecosystem to support founders at every level, join our community as a partner.

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